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20 February 2010

Anglophilia

...without the benefit of any clothing that actually came from England: A tan spread collar shirt by Polo, $1.00, a woolen houndstooth bow tie, the generous gift of Miss Ellie Laveer, a Scottish (okay, I guess that's technically British) lambswool v-neck from the House of Tweed, $5.99, and a bullet proof tweed jacket from the Andover Shop, $6.99 (by the way, not only does this jacket retail for $875, but the Andover Shop actually had it on display in the window only 3 weeks ago...super score!)

With brown suede brogues from Cole Haan, $5.49, argyle socks from the Gap, $5.00, and some 'cinnamon' colored cords from Lands End. At $45 these were kind of pricey, but I was in the mood and I love this color. I will admit, however, that there is something inherently wrong with paying more for Lands End cords than I did for that jacket, but so be it.

Topped off with my newly arrived dark olive corduroy driving cap from the Village Hat Shop. I bought this hat especially for this jacket. You see, I wear British style diving caps almost exclusively. I just didn't have one that went with this jacket. The jacket was languishing in the closet. That's just wrong...so I bought this hat.

Village Hat Shop is pretty cool, if you like caps. They carry a wide range, and most are less than $20. This jobby cost me $14.95. No, it's not made in the U.S.A. by superior old word craftsmen...but, No, it also doesn't cost $300. The quality is perfectly fine, the price is right and it shipped quickly. Sometimes, you gotta pick your battles.

What can I say? Fantastic outfit. You can dress better, for less than $100, than most people could do even with a budget an order of magnitude greater.

But you do have three incredible advantages: taste; a discerning eye; and incredible thrift stores. Recently, I saw a suit at "thrift" store--for ninety bucks! Outrageous. I intend to have words with the manageress.

I have bought many hats at the village hat shop. They have a made in USA section, and some of them are very affordable. To actually be in the store and try on all the hats will loosen your wallet a bit.